VANCOUVER — It didn't take Brian White long to make an impact in his return from injury.
The American striker slotted back into the starting lineup after missing three games with a hamstring ailment and scored two goals in the first half on Saturday, propelling his Vancouver Whitecaps to a 5-0 thumping of FC Dallas.
The result marked the first time since April 25 — when the team vacated its home stadium of BC Place for the FIFA World Cup — that the 'Caps won a Major League Soccer game in Vancouver.
"It's no secret we haven't been in the greatest run of form in terms of getting results," White said. "I think performance-wise — minus not being able to get the number of goals we need — I think our performance has been really good.
"But it's good to get those goals to really solidify how well as a team we've been playing and to get three points.”
The win — in front of an announced crowd of 25,398 — returned the 'Caps (12-4-4) to first place in the MLS Western Conference standings.
The club was leapfrogged by Houston in a 1-0 loss to the Dynamo on Wednesday. Houston lost 2-1 to St. Louis on Saturday.
Vancouver took control of Saturday's game early and opened the scoring off a corner in the 11th minute.
Ryan Gauld swung the ball into the fray and it was headed back out to the top of the area, where Emmanuel Sabbi got a foot on it and sent a rolling shot just inside the far post. His fourth goal across all competition this season gave Vancouver a 1-0 lead.
A swift play by Edier Ocampo helped pad the advantage in the 23rd minute.
The Colombian wing back sprinted up the field, losing his check in the process, and took a ball off the chest from Tristan Blackmon. Ocampo then chipped a pass across the six-yard box to White, who booted a shot in to put the home side up 2-0.
“(White's) a great player for us," said Whitecaps head coach Jesper Sorensen. "And I think that he played very well and blended in very well with the guys, and you couldn't see that he had been out for awhile here.”
White struck again in the 37th minute off another Gauld corner. Midfielder Oliver Larraz headed the ball down and a Dallas defender took it off his foot before it bounced to White, who booted a left-footed shot into the back of the net. It was the striker's 13th goal across all competition this season.
Saturday marked the first time White, Gauld, Sabbi and attacking midfielder Thomas Muller started a game together.
"As a forward, you just want to play with good quality players and that's what those guys are," White said. "And even the guys that didn't start tonight have qualities that make it easy as a forward to play. So for me, it's a dream situation. And obviously, it was a bit of fun tonight.”
Ocampo sent the Whitecaps into halftime on a high, putting a bouncing header up and over Dallas keeper Jonathan Sirois in the sixth minute of first-half injury time to give Vancouver a 4-0 advantage.
The 'Caps controlled 62.9 per cent of possession across the first half and outshot the visitors 10-3, with a 6-0 advantage in on-target shots.
Taking an early lead gave the group confidence, Sorensen said.
“It's much easier to play freely when you are ahead and winning in the game. It's way easier, and you don't feel the pressure from the clock running down," he said.
"So I hope that that's something that we can carry on. Every game is different, so it's going to be a different thing next time. But I think the team in general is confident."
Dallas head coach Eric Quill made four changes at halftime in a bid to spark his group, but the Torros struggled to maintain possession and create scoring chances.
Instead, the Whitecaps chalked up another goal in the 68th minute.
Bruno Caicedo, who'd come on for Sabbi five minutes earlier, headed a cross from Muller down, collected the ball and fired a right-footed shot in to put Vancouver up 5-0.
One of Dallas' best chances of the night came in the 87th minute off a corner kick. Santiago Moreno swung the ball in and Petar Musa directed it toward the Vancouver goal, only to see goalkeeper Yohei Takaoka calmly jump up and punch the attempt away.
The visitors had another opportunity in the fourth minute of injury time when Musa blasted a shot on net, but Takaoka dove and tipped the ball out of harm's way.
Vancouver's entire back line deserved credit for keeping Musa — the league's top scorer — and his teammates off the score sheet, Sorensen said.
“It's been tough on our defenders because if they made a mistake, we have not been able to score on the other end," the coach said. "And honestly, it's not always that easy. So I think it was great for everybody that we got the clean sheet today.”
UP NEXT
Dallas: Visits St. Louis City SC on Sunday, Aug. 30.
Whitecaps: Visit Sporting Kansas City on Saturday, Aug. 29.
